Life Without a Net
Christian
Gut Bacteria Changes Our Brain
A new study by researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario now suggests that gut bacteria may also influence behaviour and cognitive processes such as memory by exerting an effect on gene activity during brain development. Yet another example of how forces beyond our control shape our consciousness. And another example of how powerful the … Continue reading
Moderate Christians: An Alternate Viewpoint
I’ve almost never written anything complimentary about moderate Christians. In fact, I’ve generally held them in philosophical contempt for implicitly condoning extremism, and more importantly, for extolling faith as a virtue. This is a hotly contested position, and I honestly feel a little ashamed that I haven’t at least presented a reasonable argument from … Continue reading
Rob Bell Heresy Costs Pastor His Job
Isn’t it fun watching things play out the way you knew they would happen? Some poor sap had enough human compassion to take Rob Bell’s fuzzy-wuzzy version of Christianity seriously, and he got canned. It wasn’t like Chad Holtz rejected the entire Christian model, either: “I think justice comes and judgment will happen, but I … Continue reading
Pole Dancing for Jesus
You can’t make this shit up. FOX News is keeping you abreast of the latest most important news. Tonight, pole dancing for Jesus. ’Cause it’s important. And it’s Jesus. Or something…
Are Christians Obeying Jesus?
Many of the self-described “rational Christians” I encounter tell me that the secret of the modern Christian’s success is following the words of Jesus. You see, the Old Testament was the Old Covenant. We are living under a new covenant. The words of Jesus trump the words of Jesus nee Yahweh. Is it true? Do … Continue reading
Popular Christian Takes Hit for Using Brain
Rob Bell is pretty popular as evangelical Christians go, and he’s also surprisingly… thoughtful. Somewhere along the line, it occurred to him that a loving god couldn’t possibly be compatible with an eternal heaven and hell as taught by the traditional church. (That was the thoughtful part.) Granted, he didn’t directly question the existence of … Continue reading
Religious Wars
This little sketch may be a little over the top, but I don’t think it’s missing by much. I’ve been doing a bit of thinking lately about why we fight each other. Land — Pure and simple, this is the main thing we fight over. In almost every war I can think of, two groups … Continue reading
Hell and Free Will
Every once in a while, I hit a brick wall trying to think about Christianity. The one I just hit has to do with one of the oldest problems theologians encountered. IF all that happens is the perfect and unalterable will of God, THEN God wishes people to suffer on earth, and then suffer for … Continue reading
The Diminishing of the Gods
A thorough study of the history of gods reveals a pattern we’d expect if gods are not real. The farther we move back in time (and the farther we move away from science) we see more and bigger claims of divine intervention. Gods have been responsible for thunder, lightning, rain, comets, and holding up the … Continue reading
Why We Need Holidays
Yesterday I gave you some of my thoughts on the “Holiday War.” Today I want to talk about holidays in general. To begin with, let’s think about what holidays are and what they mean. First, a holiday is usually a day off from work. That’s not a small thing. The U.S. still ranks in the … Continue reading
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